Fix common problems

Windows blocks the app

Windows marks files that come from the internet. Because Savy Helper is new and not code-signed, it may be blocked. There are two ways to deal with it, and the first is the one to do before you unzip.

1. Unblock the zip (best). This stops every file inside from being blocked.

1. Right-click Savy-Helper-win-x64.zip and choose Properties.
2. At the bottom of the General tab, next to Security, tick Unblock. (If you don't see it, the file isn't blocked.)
3. Click OK, then unzip it and open Savy Helper.exe.

Already unzipped and still blocked? Right-click Savy Helper.exe → Properties → tick Unblock → OK. Or delete the folder, unblock the zip as above and unzip again.

2. “Windows protected your PC” (SmartScreen). When this blue window appears, click More info, then Run anyway. You only need to do this the first time.

My antivirus deleted or quarantined it

New, unsigned apps are sometimes flagged by mistake. Open your antivirus (Windows Security → Virus & threat protection → Protection history), restore Savy Helper.exe, and allow it. If the whole folder was removed, download the zip again, then add the folder to your antivirus exclusions before unzipping. Only download Savy Helper from the link on this site.

I opened it and nothing happened

That is normal: Savy Helper has no window. It opens a small page in your browser at http://127.0.0.1:47653/ and then runs in the background.

• Go back to the Savy tab. “Savy Helper connected” should appear under the link box within a few seconds.
• Not sure it is running? Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc, look for Savy Helper in Task Manager, or open the page above.
• Opening the exe again never starts a second copy. It just opens that page.

The site still says “Start Savy Helper”

The helper is running but the site can't reach it. Try these in order:

1. Press Check again on the card, then refresh the page with Ctrl+Shift+R.
2. If your browser asked “access apps and services on your device” or “Local network access” and you chose Block, allow it: click the tune/lock icon left of the address bar → Site settings (or Permissions) → set Local network access to Allow, then refresh.
3. Turn off ad-block or privacy extensions for this site (for example uBlock Origin or Privacy Badger). In Brave, lower Shields for this site. Some of them block requests to your own computer.
4. Open http://127.0.0.1:47653/health in a new tab. If you see text starting with {"ok":true, the helper works and the problem is in the browser. If the page can't load, the helper isn't running: open it again.
5. Try Chrome or Edge. They are the most tested browsers.

Windows Firewall asks about it

You may see a firewall prompt the first time. Savy Helper only talks to your own computer, so it works whether you choose Allow or Cancel. It never needs to be reachable from other devices.

A download fails

• “Platform is checking us” / “verify you're not a bot”: the site, often YouTube, is blocking your internet connection for the moment. Wait a few minutes and try again, switch from Wi-Fi to a phone hotspot, or turn off a VPN.
• Private, members-only or DRM-protected videos can't be saved. Age-restricted and region-locked ones often can't either.
• Live streams can be saved only after they end.
• Stuck or very slow: it depends on your internet speed. Press Cancel, quit Savy Helper from its control page, open it again, and retry.
• Works for some sites, not others: sites change often. Savy Helper updates its download engine by itself. Leave it running for a few minutes and try again.

“Start with Windows” stopped working

If you moved or renamed the Savy Helper folder, the saved shortcut points to the old place. Open Savy Helper from its new folder, go to its control page, and turn Start with Windows off and on again.

Update to a new version

Quit Savy Helper from its control page, download the new zip, unblock it (see above), and unzip over the old folder, replacing the files.

Remove Savy Helper

1. On the control page, turn off Start with Windows, then press Quit Savy Helper.
2. Delete the Savy Helper folder you unzipped.
3. Optional: delete %LOCALAPPDATA%\SavyHelper (paste it into the Explorer address bar). It holds temporary files and logs.

Still stuck?

Write to sahalayamon1@gmail.com and tell us what you see. If you can, attach the last lines of %LOCALAPPDATA%\SavyHelper\logs\helper.log. You can also go back to the how-to guide.